Buyers were unfazed in the lead up to the EU referendum as sales to first-time buyers were up in June, and demand for housing increased.
As the EU Referendum approached in June, demand for housing, supply of available properties, and the number of sales going through were stable,according to the National Association of Estate Agents June Housing Market report.
In June, estate agents saw an increase in demand overall, suggesting buyers weren’t fazed by the risk of Brexit in the lead up to the vote. There were an average 330 house hunters registered per member branch last month – an increase of 9%from May, when 304 buyers were registered, the lowest number recorded since November 2013. However, although June saw growth in the number of prospective buyers, demand still remains low in comparison to June last year.
Following the Brexit result, three in five (57%) reported a drop in demand from prospective buyers and three in five (58%) saw supply fall in the week immediately following the vote. However, it is expected this will level out in July.
First-time buyers were not impacted by the Brexit result. Immediately following the result only three in ten (28%) NAEA agents witnessed uncertainty from the group, while a third (30%) of total house sales in June were made to FTBs, the highest number of sales since October last year.
The Brexit vote did not affect the number sales that completed in June either, with a total of eight sales completing per branch last month – a figure which has not shifted from May. Further to this, the supply of available housing also remained the same – with an average of 37 properties registered per member branch in June.
Mark Hayward, managing director, National Association of Estate Agents, said: “In periods of extreme political and economic uncertainty, the housing market will always respond. However, it’s a relief to see that looking at the whole month overall, buyers were still keen to buy, sellers were still keen to sell and sales were still going through at the same level as we’d expect. It’s only natural that immediately following the vote supply fell but our figures show that the lead up to the vote wasn’t all doom and gloom, which should be a good indication of the months to come.
“We remain upbeat and need others in the industry to do so as well. The new housing minister confirming his commitment to building £1m new homes will be encouraging for many buyers, especially those looking to buy their first home. Hopefully we should soon see housing market confidence bouncing back to the levels seen pre-Brexit.”
